Viennese Photographers and their Persian Sitters 1863-1905

The research resulting in the present volume was part of a larger study on the interactions between Persia and Austria going back to the 17th century. That study will form the basis of a forthcoming book on Austrians in Persia and Persians in Austria in the 19th century. As the focus of that study was particularly on the importance, impact and activities of the individuals who visited and stayed in these respective countries, there was little room in it to highlight the background of the Viennese photographers who recorded the arrival of the Persian guests in the 19th century. It thus became clear that the interaction between the greatest Viennese photographers and their prominent Persian sitters needed a separate treatment in its own right. A large number of the photographs of the Persian subjects presented in this volume are being shown here for the first time in their proper context and with explanations of the circumstances in which they were taken. They represent, however, only a fraction of the actual extant corpus of photographs scattered among private collections and archives around the world. These often jealously guarded records are also frequently misidentified and thus, the larger academic community has been left unaware of their existence. There is much that still needs to be studied and rectified, and the hope is that this present volume is a good first step in that direction.